SA teams battle but hang on to All-Africa Junior lead

29 Mar 2017

Tough pin positions and gusting wind led to considerably higher scoring and the two South African squads had to dig deep to stay ahead of the opposition in round two of the All-Africa Junior Golf Championship at Royal Harare Golf Club on Wednesday.

Gauteng junior Symone Henriques helped the SA Girls Team keep control, while Luca Filippi from Western Province set the pace for the SA Boys team for a second day running.

Boys CompetitionFilippi followed an opening 70 with a 71, Jayden Schaper from Ekurhuleni added a 73 and Christo Lamprecht from Southern Cape contributed a 76 for a second round total of 220, while reigning SA number one Garrick Higgo carded a non-counting 78.

The SA team has the lead at one-under-par 431, but the quartet will want to stretch a two shot advantage over Zimbabwe if they hope to land South Africa’s 19th consecutive victory and with title, the coveted winner’s spot in the field for Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.

Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa fired a 71, David Amm produced successive rounds of 73, while top ranked Justin Kersten and Thompson Masiya carded a pair of 77s for a second round 221 to keep the host nation within striking distance.

Girls CompetitionHenriques was two over at the turn and slipped to four over with a double bogey at the par-5 12th, but the 16-year-old Glenvista junior racked up four sublime birdies over the closing holes for an even-par 72.

“The course undoubtedly played tougher today and the wind made it almost impossible to attack any flags,” said Womens Golf South Africa president Karen Olivant.

“The bulk of the field in the Boys and Girls Competitions had a really tough day at the office as most of the pins with tucked in tough positions. Course management was at an absolute premium. Symone did incredibly well to bounce back from the double at 12 to keep our lead intact.”The South African team has a 36-hole total of five over 293 and lead Zimbabwe by 29 shots.

Danielle Bekker and Emily Jones posted respective rounds of 82 and 81 for a second round 163, while Margaret Nyamukondiwa carded a non-counting 86.

“Although we have a substantial lead over the host nation, we can’t afford to slack off over the last two rounds if we want to win this championship and secure the spot to the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan,” Olivant said. “Anyone can hit a hot run over the next two days, so the players need to stay focused on the end goal.”